The 1902 invention of air conditioning has long been hailed as one of the most important inventions of the 20th century, one that has forever changed the way we live.

Yeah, I dunno about that. AC is nice but hardly necessary - for me at any rate. I'd argue that the really important inventions are the refrigerator and toilet paper. I could live without most modern trappings but not having a fridge and TP would really suck.

Depends on the climate... a lot of the world would be/and is an absolute humid hell without air conditioning. Definitely one of the most important inventions, not the most important invention of the 20th century.

Hooray, not so minor improvements in the quality of life!

I can't imagine living where I do without AC. The feels like is 109F, and the lows at night are generally like 79F with 80% humidity. This is a consistent pattern that can last from early May to late October. The only thing that can break that in the thick of summer is a hurricane, which you better hope your power is back after 2 days, cause then it really gets hot. Think of it like this Cutter, if it weren't for AC all of us southerners would be up where you are, getting in your personal space.

Hmm .. I just open the window - the AC (Pacific Ocean breeze) is always on.

Fireworks were awesome last night! We saw fireworks launched close by via a barge on the ocean in Torrance beach and were also able to watch the entire South Bay's fireworks from Redondo Beach to Malibu.

HorrorScope wrote on Jun 30, 2016, 11:05:The biker video seems surreal. Ok you have the merge issue, like that shit happens a lot even with cars and to be honest he swears way to much at a stranger, that right there is going to raise the I don't give a shit stakes for the recipient of such abuse.

But the part that doesn't seem real, he waves and goes over to a police officer and in just a matter of a few seconds, the cop buys in and is able to quickly stop the driver. Where I came from that would be minutes to explain and almost assuredly they wouldn't have done anything but say "we'll keep an eye out".

This guys says "I got on video a lady trying to run me over at the merge, I got in on video"... Cop "Ok follow me". I don't think I've seen a cop be so attentive but also just so gullible to a citizens request, unless this is a biker sting going on with the cops.

Nothing gullible about it, the cop is following up on a complaint like he's supposed to. Not the worst merge I've ever seen or experienced, but it was clear who had the right of way. Maybe the lady wasn't initially paying attention, but she sure as didn't give a shit when it became obvious.

I just have never seen a cop respond so perky. Verbatim...

Around here in the LA area .. there would be at least one helicopter and 10 squad cars following her ... then when she pulls over .. guns drawn .. cross-hairs aimed between the eyes.

BobBob wrote on Jun 22, 2016, 11:05:Soap operas for adult men. Just like Mad Men. Reminds me of the reason I disliked high school and being a teenager so much. But I guess there is market to relive those melodramatic days.

Nothing beats soft porn hidden under the guise of Tits and Dragons.

You mean other than the real thing like being sexual with a spouse or gf/bf? Unless it's preferable to watch vs. participate?

descender wrote on Jun 15, 2016, 10:52:Some people are just not crazy until they are. Blaming it all on mental health is a good way to hide from the other things that could be changed to limit exposure and accessibility to cause such chaos.

Limit exposure how? Censorship? Removing the person's right to use the library? If a person is psychotic, watching Saturday morning cartoons can lead to delusions and paranoia.

People don't just drink a cup of insta-crazy. Psychological problems manifest and typically start at an early age unless there is a brain trauma. My issue is with the creation of LPS and the repeal of the Mental Health Systems Act. The combination of both left us with an entirely inadequate infrastructure to take care of people with mental illness - including outpatient therapy - lack of long term treatment (hence rampant homelessness) and lack of early intervention for psychosis (ex: UCSB, Orlando, Connecticut, Colorado, and others). Of course, not all of those with a mental illness are an imminent danger to society, but it just so happens those involved in mass shootings all had an inclination toward or history of mental illness. If the perpetrators had been under mandatory therapy it's likely the tragedies could have been averted via regular counseling and treatment to redirect or prevent paranoid ideations and delusional thoughts, etc.

If Hillary can propose reasonable and rational alternatives to Trump's fear mongering and sweeping 'hate based' solutions, she can pull some of his centrist crowd into her camp. Albeit, it will be difficult because typical Trump supporters seem to have a narrow focus on one or two subject matters and can't see the big picture. They often permit everything else he says without criticism in hope that he'll get one or two results completely accomplished. (Does this remind you of something in history?) His hate-filled, black & white style, solutions directly address schematic fears to the point of conjuring up an imaginary and euphoric ambitions while imbuing a social strength through a delusional sense of group righteousness. (Does this also remind you of something in history?)

However, Hillary won't be able to convince the homophobic, racist, or fanatical Trump supporter to change his/her beliefs - those can only be countered by an advanced education or real life experiences. Despite all the rants on the Internet, I don't think the extremes reflect a majority. Most people simply want to earn a decent income, live in secure surroundings, and enjoy a peaceful life - and would rather ignore the petty details of what others are doing.